Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Tuesday 10 August 1999

Scottish Executive

Civil Servants

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of its civil servants will be transferred to the Scotland Office and, if so, how many.

Donald Dewar: Civil servants from the Scottish Executive are being loaned to the Scotland Office rather than being transferred. Those staff involved will have a guaranteed right of return to the Executive once the 3-year loan period has expired. The number of civil servants on loan to the Scotland Office at the present time is 56. A number of further loans seem likely as the Scotland Office’s staffing needs are firmed up.

Devolution

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made or intends to make any representations to Her Majesty’s Government in regard to the number and allocation of staff to be employed in the Scotland Office and the remit of each of its departments and, if it has, to provide details of such representations.

Donald Dewar: The staffing requirements of the Scotland Office is properly a matter for that government department. My officials are, however, assisting the Scotland Office with meeting their staffing needs.

Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-355 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 15 July, what is the ratio of pupils to computers with access to the internet in these 1204 primary and 320 secondary schools.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The information given in the Improvement Plans prepared by local authorities under the Excellence Fund arrangements was presented at authority level. There is insufficient detail at school level to give a separate answer for the schools currently linked to the Internet.

  The School Census in September 1999 will allow the provision of detailed figures for pupil:computer ratios.

Education

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-355 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 15 July, by what date will all primary and secondary schools have access to the internet.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The Government’s target date for connecting all schools to the Internet is 2002. The Schools Census in September 1999 will provide updated figures for connections to the Internet.

Environment

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to enhance the protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Scotland and, if so, by what means.

Sarah Boyack: The "Partnership for Scotland" agreement specified that "we will protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest". We are currently considering the most effective means of doing so in the light of responses to last year’s "People and Nature" SSSI consultation paper.

Environment

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to increase the number of designated bathing beaches in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no proposals at present to increase the number of identified bathing waters in Scotland. As recently as February 1999 an additional 37 identified bathing waters were designated in Scotland.

  However, I will keep this matter under review and a further identification exercise will be undertaken when it is appropriate to do so.

Football

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the Scottish Premier League’s decision to restrict entry to the Scottish Premier Division by refusing to allow teams promoted from Division One to enter into temporary ground sharing arrangements, what action it plans in order to assist those clubs who will be disadvantaged by this ruling, in particular Falkirk F.C.

Rhona Brankin: Entry requirements for the Scottish Premier Division are a matter for the Scottish Premier League. Government Ministers would not normally seek to intervene in matters that are the responsibility of the relevant football authorities.

  The then Secretary of State did, however, grant Falkirk Football Club planning permission in May 1996 for the development of a 15,000 all-seater football stadium and associated facilities at Westfield Farm, Falkirk. Following a recent meeting with Falkirk Council I understand that Falkirk FC now intends to build a 10,000 seater stadium. This would require Falkirk FC to submit a fresh planning application to the local authority.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests for an interpreter have been made in criminal conduct proceedings in Scotland in each of the last five years; how many of these requests were met at the stage of initial asking, and what was the breakdown of such requests by language in each year.

Mr Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is responsible for obtaining the services of interpreters during criminal court proceedings. However, information is not collected centrally as to the number of requests by the Crown for an interpreter, the timing of the request, nor the incidence of particular languages.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers investigations into the death of Ian Godley, believed to have been killed by arsonists in February 1998, to be closed, whether the police consider that there is sufficient evidence to bring a successful prosecution in the case, and whether it is considered to be against the public interest for any suspects to be brought to trial.

Mr Colin Boyd: Investigations into the circumstances of the death of Ian Godley in February 1998 are not considered to be closed. Crown Counsel do not consider there to be sufficient evidence to bring proceedings at this time against any person in connection with Mr Godley’s death. Accordingly the question of public interest does not arise.

Justice

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for the Scottish Court Service for 1999-2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: The targets I have set for the Scottish Court Service (SCS) are shown in the table below. Details of the performance of the Service against its targets in previous years are given in the SCS Annual Report and Accounts for 1998-99 which were laid before Parliament on Tuesday 20 July.

  SCOTTISH COURT SERVICE: TARGETS 1999/2000

  

Target No 
Brief Description of Target

Target 1999-2000




1 
no case should fall as a result of
statutory time limits being breached
0 



2 
%age diets in Court of Session
allocated within time limits set by the Lord
President
93% 



3 
%age criminal appeals allocated to a
roll within time limits set by the Lord Justice
General
60% 



4 
weighted average waiting period for
summary cases in the Sheriff Courts
12 weeks 



5 
weighted average waiting period for
civil cases in the Sheriff Courts
12 weeks 



6 
weighted average %age summary
criminal trial lack of time adjournments
5% 



7 
%age achievement of administrative
standards in the Supreme Courts
95% 



8 
%age achievement of administrative
standards in the Sheriff Courts
85% 



9 
%age Courthouses meeting the
"Coming to Court" standard
87% 



10 
cost of staff, accommodation etc,
per sitting day
£950

Justice

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement about the targets it expects the Registers of Scotland Executive Agency to achieve in the financial year 1999-2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have set the Registers of Scotland the following targets for 1999-2000:

  for the Trading Fund to achieve a return of 6% on net capital employed over the 3-year period ending 31 March 2000;

  to continue the Land Register extension programme by achieving the transfer of the Counties of Berwick, East Lothian, Peebles, Roxburgh and Selkirk to the Land Register on 1 October 1999 and preparing for the transfer of the Counties of Argyll and Bute on 1 April 2000;

  to maintain and enhance customer service through retention of their Charter Mark; by achieving a 97% rating for overall customer care; and by processing 95% of all other enquiries in compliance with the Registers of Scotland Customer Service Policy published in May 1999;

  to achieve turnaround times:

  - averaging 40, but not exceeding 50 working days for Sasine Writs;

  - averaging 40, but not exceeding 60 working days for Dealings with Whole;

  - not exceeding 200 working days for 60% of Domestic First Registrations;

  to reduce unit costs by 5% in real terms for Sasine Writs by 31 March 2000 from the base at 31 March 1997;

  to reduce unit costs by 2.4% in real terms for Dealings with Whole by 31 March 2000 from the base at 31 March 1997;

  to reduce the standard production cost index by 1.5% by 31 March 2000 from its base at 31 March 1999;

  to launch the first phase of Registers Direct by 31 August 1999 and the second phase by 31 March 2000; and

  to achieve a registration accuracy of at least 96% during 1999-2000.

Prisons

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for the Scottish Prison Service Agency for 1999-2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have set the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service the following targets:

  

Performance Measures 
Key Targets 


The number of prisoners
unlawfully at large
No ‘A’ category
prisoners should escape. The number of escapes by
‘B’ category prisoners should be no
higher than 0.8 per 1,000 prisoners (ie 5).
The number of
escapes by ‘C’ category prisoners
should be no higher that 1.3 per 1,000 (ie 8).




The number of serious
assaults on staff and prisoners
The number of serious
assaults on staff should be no higher than 2.8
per 1,000 staff (14). The number of serious assaults on
prisoners should be less than the 1998-99 outturn
(<129). 



Basic quality of life for prisoners
By end March 2000, 76% of available
prisoner places will have access to night
sanitation.


The number of available
opportunities for prisoners’
self-development
To ensure that 850 prisoners have
completed programmes in the fields of one or more
cognitive skills, sex offending, anger management
or drugs relapse prevention.


Average cost per prisoner place
To keep costs within the £28,761
per place available for use.


The level of absence through staff
sickness
To reduce the average number of days
lost through staff sickness to 14.

Thomas Muir

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to honour the memory of Thomas Muir.

Rhona Brankin: While we have no specific plans for this purpose we recognise the significance of Thomas Muir in Scottish history, particularly in this the bicentenary year of his death.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-342 by Sarah Boyack on 21 July 1999, what representations has it made, or intends to make to Her Majesty’s Government in advance of its anticipated decision on "fifth freedom" rights.

Sarah Boyack: The UK Government have been kept fully aware of the Scottish Executive’s recognition of the potential benefits to the Scottish economy which could arise through the further liberalisation of airfreight services. They are also aware that we are keen to ensure that economic development generally and inward investment are not disadvantaged by unnecessary restrictions on air services.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the cost of the new network of roadside camera sensor stations in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: Roadside digital imaging sensors are being provided and installed on some sections of the Scottish trunk road network by Trafficmaster plc at no cost to the Scottish Executive.

  These sensors will be used by Trafficmaster plc to provide up to the minute traffic information to subscribers of in-car units. As part of the licence granted by The Scottish Office, the Scottish Executive will have access to the sensor data to augment the present data sources to provide traffic information to the travelling public via variable message signs.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the locations of each of the new roadside camera sensor stations which are proposed, operational or under construction in Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: Roadside digital imaging sensors are presently being erected adjacent to some sections of Scottish trunk road network by Trafficmaster plc under the terms of a licence granted by The Scottish Office. These sensors will be used by Trafficmaster plc to provide up to the minute traffic information to subscribers of in-car units.

  Trafficmaster propose to place approx 250 sensors adjacent to Scottish trunk roads. An exact number cannot be given at this time as locations and numbers may have to be revised if particular sites are not effective. A schedule of the sites at present proposed has been placed in the Scottish Parliament library.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Members’ Salaries

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Presiding Officer to specify the total cost of MSPs’ salaries and allowances for the current financial year and each of the next three financial years.

Sir David Steel: MSPs’ salaries and allowances for the current year and the following 2 years are estimated to be:

  

 
 
£million


 


 
1999-2000
Plans


2000-01
Plans


2001-02
Plans




MSP Salaries 
6.1 

6.7 

6.7 



MSP Allowances 
7.1 

7.9 

7.9 




  These figures are based upon 1999-00 rates.

  MSPs’ salaries for the current year are based on the period from 8 May 1999 to 31 March 2000. The figures are based on the salary rates set out in The Scotland Act 1998 (Transitory and Transitional Provisions)(Salaries and Allowances) Order 1999 and take account of reductions for Members who hold dual mandates. Annual uprating is provided for in the Transitional Order but the rate is not yet known.

  The figure for MSPs’ allowances is based on the Members’ Allowances Scheme agreed by the Parliament on 8 June and includes provision of £5,000 per Member for information technology and office equipment. For the current year, figures are based on the period from 8 June 1999 to 31 March 2000. Figures for the following years are estimates. While some allowances are capped and the maximum amount can be reliably estimated, others, such as the Members’ Travel Allowance, are demand-led and totals are more difficult to predict. The Allowances Scheme makes provision for annual uprating of allowances on 1 April each year by the amount of increase in the Retail Price Index for the previous financial year.

Running Costs

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Presiding Officer to specify the total expected running cost of the Parliament for the current financial year and for each of the next three financial years and to disaggregate the cost by committee and by directorate.

Sir David Steel: The provision for the Scottish Parliament for this year and the following 2 years are published in The Government’s Expenditure Plans 1999-00 to 2001-02. The expenditure plans for the Scottish Parliament are as follows:

  The Government’s Expenditure Plans 1999-00 to 2001-02

  

 
 
£million 

 


 
1999-2000
Plans

2000-01
Plans

2001-02
Plans



Running Costs 
29 

38 

38 



Capital Expenditure 
28 

44 

11 



Receipts 
-2 

-2 

-2 



Net Total 
55 

80 

47 




  The running costs provision for the Scottish Parliament in 1999-00 is £29.320m. This figure was agreed in early 1998 during the UK Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review and was based on the information available and assumptions made at that time. Given the lapse of time, a number of items and costs have changed. Experience of operating the Parliament has also shown that some estimates, including that for Members’ allowances, were over-optimistic. Parliamentary staff are keeping the budget and expenditure against it under constant review and it is likely that additional resources will be required. Once a further review of budgets – which will include identifying savings - has been completed, the SPCB will be invited to consider seeking additional resources.

  The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body’s budget has been disaggregated only for 1999-2000 at this time. The Directorate budgets for 2000-01 will be set before the start of that year and will be informed by the projected budgetary spend of the Directorates during this first year. The table below sets out the current disaggregation of the 1999-2000 budget. The budget for committees is within the total for the Clerking Directorate. Budgets have not been set for individual Committees but the expenditure incurred by each will be reported at the end of the financial year when actual expenditure is known.

  

DIRECTORATE 

BUDGET £’000




**MSP salaries, allowances and
associated costs 
12,910 



Chief Executive’s &
Presiding Officer’s Offices 
278 



Legal Office 
152 



Clerking 
2,200 



Corporate Services 
8,177 



Communication Services 
4,133 



Holyrood Project Team 
690 



Other Costs (Opening Ceremony etc)

780 



Total 
29,320 




  ** This includes financial assistance for registered parties and an estimate for stationery, photocopying and postage costs etc.